The Bombers headed into the district semifinals riding a two-game win streak, which included a dominant 9-1 victory over Milford. Standing in their way of the finals was Eastern Cincinnati Conference opponent Walnut Hills. Despite finishing the season 5-21 (2-16 in conference play)—two games better than Winton Woods—the Eagles entered the matchup fresh off a grueling 7-6 victory over Western Hills, a game in which they scored four runs across the sixth and seventh innings to outlast the Broncos.

The Bombers sent reliable junior Liam McGeady to the hill to face the Eagles. Walnut Hills opened the first inning strong; a pop-out and a fly-out were quickly followed by a single and a walk. This turned up the heat on McGeady, and two wild pitches subsequently allowed Walnut Hills to push a run across and take an early 1-0 lead.

However, the Bombers struck a blow of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Following a lead-off strikeout, senior Braden Bricking drew a walk to spark a Bomber rally. Senior Jack Ryan followed with a single to center, and senior Jackson Sherrard was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Bombers then tied the game on a wild pitch to junior Logan Von Hoelle, who ultimately walked to reload the bases. The Bombers took a 2-1 lead heading into the second inning after Ryan scored on the third wild pitch of the frame.

Both sides quieted down in the second inning. McGeady ended the top half with a strikeout, while the Bombers left runners on first and second with one out following a strikeout and a groundout. McGeady continued to settle in during the third, opening with a strikeout before surrendering a one-out single. He responded by allowing his defense to back him up, escaping the inning via a slick 4-6-3 double play. The Bombers continued to be silenced offensively; though sophomore Griffin Doxsey hit a two-out single to spark a mini-rally, he was left stranded on first after a line-out to second base.

Escaping the Jam

McGeady ran into trouble in the fourth, opening the inning with a walk and a wild pitch that quickly turned into a single, putting runners on the corners with no outs. The Eagles then tied the game at 2-2 on a fielder's choice to Ryan. Walnut Hills continued to apply pressure, hitting a double to left to put runners on second and third with only one out.

With that, McGeady's night was done. He pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while issuing three walks and striking out three. The Bombers called on junior lefty Ryan Krause to escape the jam. Krause held the game tied, striking out the next batter and forcing a grounder back to the mound for the final out of the inning.

Sophomore Dominick Dials drew a walk to open the bottom of the fourth, and the Bombers responded by bringing in junior AJ Thomas to pinch-run. Thomas quickly nabbed second base before being moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, putting him just 90 feet away from home with one out. The Eagles then loaded the bases after hitting both Brus and Bricking with pitches. The Bombers capitalized, picking up two runs starting with a wild pitch that scored Thomas from third. A sacrifice fly from Ryan followed, giving the Bombers a 4-2 lead heading into the fifth.

Krause continued to pitch well in the fifth, punching out the first batter of the inning. After giving up a single to the next hitter, Krause got some help from his defense when sophomore Sam Sprenard threw out the runner trying to advance to second. Krause then struck out the final batter to clear the frame. In the bottom half of the fifth, the Bombers went down in order, 1-2-3.

The Bombers called on their second reliever of the game in the sixth, handing the ball to right-handed junior Eric Nienaber. He picked up right where Krause left off, delivering a swift 1-2-3 inning that included back-to-back strikeouts.

The Bombers' offense struck back with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Brus picked up his second hit of the game with a single to left. He proceeded to give the Eagles' defense nightmares, swiping both second and third base. His aggressive baserunning rattled the catcher, who dropped a called third strike, allowing Brus to race home and extend the Bombers' cushion to 5-2 heading into the final frame.

Nienaber faced some resistance in the seventh. After forcing a groundout to start the inning, he surrendered a walk and a single to put runners on first and second. Looking to shut the door on the Eagles' rally, the Bombers turned to their dominant sophomore closer, Sam Vovak. Vovak completely blew the Walnut Hills offense away, striking out the final two batters looking to secure the 5-2 victory.

With the win, the Bombers will travel to Batavia on Thursday to face the winner of tonight's matchup between Lakota West and Kettering Fairmont in the District Finals.